Devin Bunkers

Idea description:

The Bratislava bunkers have been a part of our city for almost 80 years. The history of the bunkers dates back to the interwar period when a line of fortifications along the entire border of the former Czechoslovakia was built. In 1935 – 1938, 55 bunkers of various sizes and purposes were constructed in the territory of Bratislava. Heavy fortification on the Petržalka side of the Danube and light fortification in the Záhorie region represented the never used line of defense of Czechoslovakia. This urban intervention deals with 31 objects up to 10 square meter size in the Devín district. These monuments are now unused and run-down. Two international bicycle tracks run in the neighborhood and the environment offers plenty of opportunities for recreation in the protected area of Záhorie. The Liberty Bridge is used by approximately 575 visitors per day, out of whom a significant portion are bikers travelling on the Iron Curtain Trail, a Europe-known track. The use of bunkers as vacation rentals could provide a possibility of overnight stay in the beautiful Morava river floodplain in conjunction with the unique historic character of military bunkers. The non-functional objects of Devín bunkers would then become living objects that will remind us of the recent past of Bratislava we should not forget.